


twin souls

by joyfulwriting



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Blood and Violence, F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Ghosts, Heavy Angst, I wouldn’t read if you’re sensitive to any of these things!, Multi, Murder Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2019-12-30 21:27:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18322316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joyfulwriting/pseuds/joyfulwriting
Summary: The Semi twins’ murders had always been the talk of the town, and talk of ghosts haunting the house they once resided in was always a good scary story. But... what if three teenagers prove that “story”, to be true?(The story of murder, secrets, and proving innocence; will Goshiki and friends be able to find the one responsible for Kohana and Eita’s untimely deaths?)





	1. ghost stories

**Author's Note:**

> fINALLY after like, a week of trying to buck up the courage to write this here it is?? I’m really excited, but also really nervous, and hopefully you all enjoy! (And my oc’s too!)

On a quiet street, in a quiet neighborhood, sits an old house that has been abandoned for quite some time. The windows are cracked, and the once nice siding on the outside is falling apart from neglect. People avoided walking outside of it if they could, because it simply gave them the creeps, and only the brave ventured inside. Though, the ones that did never came out the same, talking about hearing agonized screams and footsteps running around them. People said it was haunted, or something, but did Goshiki Tsutomu believe it?

Absolutely. 

Goshiki had moved into that neighborhood about a few months ago, after his mom had gotten a new job in the area. The house had sold for pretty cheap, which he thought was surprising because it wasn’t a bad house at all. Not many lived in the neighborhood in general, and when he asked his mother, she merely shrugged it off as superstitions. He hadn’t asked more after that. 

He attended Shiratorizawa Academy, a very prestigious school that was really hard to get into, and Goshiki was pleasantly surprised to find out he’d actually gotten into his first pick in the area. It had... been an adjustment, at first, going to a new school, but eventually he met and made new friends, joined the school’s volleyball club, and even developed a crush on a girl in his class. It seemed like things were falling into place for him, and honestly he forgot about that creepy old house. 

At least until one day. 

Goshiki was practicing his spikes with Shirabu Kenjirou, who was the setter for their team. Shirabu was a no-nonsense kind of person, and preferred facts and seeing things for himself. No one was sure how the two became friends, but they were the unlikeliest of duos, even if Goshiki got on Shirabu’s nerves every now and then. 

“Nice job you guys!” The boys turned to see their manager and Goshiki’s crush, Takeno Suki, jogging towards them with water. 

Suki was absolutely amazing, both as a person and as their manager. She had pretty black hair that was curled at the ends, beautiful brown eyes that shone brightly, especially in the sun, and a pretty personality to match the outside. She was friendly and helpful, though she could get a bit shy at times. Yet, when he asked if she wanted to have a trial run as their manager, she jumped at the opportunity. Now, he got to see her during school, and after school, what could be better?

Shirabu nodded his thanks as he grabbed his bottle from her and chugged from it, while when Goshiki went to grab his, their fingers brushed together for a brief moment. Their cheeks flushed and they shared a tender look, thanking her as he drank from it. A pretty normal day, all in all. 

“Heyyyy, Goshiki~” A voice drawled from behind him, and he felt a long, lanky arm drape around his shoulders. Goshiki sighed, “Hi, Tendou-san.”

Satori Tendou was a couple years older than him, a third year, and a blocker for the volleyball team. He gave him the creeps sometimes, if he was being honest, and he was a bit of a prankster. Unfortunately, Goshiki was the victim of most of his jokes and or pranks, but this didn’t seem like it had any malicious intent. 

Tendou cocked his head to the side, looking at him with a mischievous smile on his face. “So, I heard you live by the old murder house, is that true?”

“Oh, you mean the creepy abandoned house? Yeah, my place is a few houses down from it.” He replied, not thinking much of his answer. But it caught the attention of pretty much everyone in the vicinity. “What..? Cmon, no one actually got murdered there, right?”

“I guess you wouldn’t know, it happened before you moved here…” Suki piped up, twiddling her fingers. “But, two murders did happen there.”

“Legend says that if you go in the house exactly at midnight, you’ll see the ghosts of the two teenagers that died there.” Kawanishi Taichi, a second year, added on, looking completely serious. “A buddy of mine once went in there, said he heard whispers and hauled ass out of there.”

Goshiki gulped, and suddenly he wasn’t sure if he was sweating because he had been practicing hard, or because of the fact that he lived a few houses away from an actual haunted house. “O-Oh my god..”

Shirabu rolled his eyes, “Oh please, you don’t actually believe that crap do you? There’s no such thing as ghosts or spirits.”

Suki frowned at Shirabu and put her hand on Goshiki’s arm reassuringly. “It’s okay, Goshiki-kun! Hey, you know what? Why don’t we check it out together? To prove if there are ghosts or not?”

He glanced down at her hand, and then back up to meet her eyes. They were earnest, and they didn’t hold a hint of teasing or malice. Goshiki really considered this; going ghost hunting with his crush wasn’t an ideal first date, but maybe it wasn’t a bad start to later dates? “O-Okay! Sure!”

Suki smiled widely and then looked to Shirabu. “You too, so you can see for yourself?”

Scratch that whole date idea. 

Shirabu scoffed. “Fine, whatever, but it’s only to prove that there are no such things as ghosts.”

Tendou looked at them as if they were crazy, “Sure, have fun getting haunted~ Oh, but one more thing.”

The three looked up at him, Goshiki gulping at his mischievous smile. “What?”

“A tip, go in at midnight, that’s when the haunting occurs~ Oooh~” He waggled his fingers, cackling loudly. “I guess we’ll know your fate whether or not you show up on Monday.”

As everyone went back to what they had been doing before, Goshiki sincerely hoped that they did.

 

***

 

That Friday night, Goshiki Chiyoko was surprised to see two teenagers show up at her door, asking for Tsutomu, as she was on her way out to go to work. He came running down the stairs, kissing her on the cheek to bid her goodbye and greet them. “Tsutomu, who are they?”

“Oh! Takeno Suki, nice to meet you!” Suki smiled and bowed, Shirabu doing the same as he introduced himself as well. “We’re here to hang out with Goshiki-kun!”

Chiyoko gasped, “Oh, you’re the Suki that Tsutomu keeps talking about—“

“mOM—“

“She’s very pretty!”

Shirabu was snickering and Suki giggled while Goshiki wanted very desperately to crawl into a hole and die. “We’re just going to be hanging out for tonight mom.” He mumbled, his cheek flushed a bright red. 

Chiyoko smiled warmly at them, “Should I leave money for food then?”

Suki shook her head. “No thank you, I ate before I came over!”

“Same here, but thank you for the offer.” Shirabu nodded his head. 

“Alright, well I’m working the late shift again, so I won’t be back until the morning.” She grabbed her bag and turned around to look at them. “Don’t stay up too late, and don’t get into any trouble while I’m gone, okay?”

Goshiki smiled as she kissed his head softly. “Don’t worry mom, we won’t!”

Chiyoko smiled and bid them goodbye, waving as she made her way to her car. Goshiki waved back and closed the door, turning to look at the two standing in the entryway. “What?”

Shirabu smirked. “Someone’s a mama’s boy.” He teased.

His cheeks heated up as he swatted at the boy taunting him. “Shut up! I’m not gonna apologize for having a good relationship with my mom.” He pouted. 

Suki giggled and set her stuff down. “I think it’s cute! Anyway, I brought ghost hunting supplies.”

The boys kneeled down as she pulled out flashlights, salt, extra batteries, and—

“Why did you bring snacks and water?” Shirabu asked, picking up a package of fruit snacks. 

“Sustenance! In case we get hungry or thirsty while we’re over there.” Suki smiled and put everything back in her bag, zipping it back up again. “And now we wait.”

“Until midnight.” Goshiki sighed softly. 

Shirabu scoffed. “I’m sure what they were saying about ghosts was just to scare us. The only true thing is that there were two teenagers murdered there.”

“So… What did happen?” Goshiki asked. 

Suki curled her legs underneath her, looking solemn. “There were two of them, a brother and a sister, and one night they were both stabbed to death by their own father.”

His eyes widened. “Seriously?”

Shirabu nodded, “He said he was out at the store, but no one can prove it, and since there weren’t any other suspects, they arrested him for two counts of first degree murder. He’s on death row as we speak.” 

“How long has he been there?”

Suki counted on her fingers. “Let’s see.. I was in my last year of middle school.. So it’s been a year, at least?”

Goshiki frowned, “Wow..”

Shirabu waved him off. “Anyways, it doesn’t matter, the father probably did it, and it’s not like we can do anything about it now. They’re dead and gone.”

The other two sighed, giving a small nod of their heads. This wasn’t about anything other than ghost hunting, but Goshiki felt sick anyways. Was it really a good idea to go traipsing over grounds where blood had been spilt? Even if there were no ghosts to haunt them, it was still disrespectful. Though, on the other hand, it wasn’t like anyone was going to find out about them going over there, since it was at night. Plus, it was too late to back out now.

They were doing this. 

 

***

 

The trio started making their way over to the abandoned house at around 11:55, five minutes until the haunting hour was supposed to start. It wasn’t a long walk, but they still stood in front of the house to wait anyway, watching the minutes go by on their phones. 

The house had fallen into disrepair, with no one maintaining it for a year and counting. The siding was beginning to peel off, and the windows were cracked slightly and had mold growing on them and within the cracks. As they made their way up the stairs to the porch area, the overgrown grass brushed their ankles, and there was a rustling in the bushes by the stairs. The front door was cracked open, as if someone had only popped in for a moment and would be right out. Also by the door, were dirtied teddy bears and burnt out candles, with wilted flowers. Must’ve been when people used to come to pay their respects, all of it looked old. 

“Hey, guys, this bouquet looks fresh,” Suki crouched down and pointed to a bouquet of fresh flowers. It wasn’t just one kind either, but multiple types of flowers, with a purple ribbon tied around the stems. “Hm.. Forget-me-nots, red poppies, zinnias, yellow carnations, Black-eyed Susans, and daisies..” She stood back up, regarding the bouquet carefully. “It looks like someone just left this, not too long ago..”

Goshiki felt a chill run up his spine. “W-Well, maybe someone in the neighborhood was just being nice..?”

Shirabu shrugged and toyed with the flashlight in his hands. “Probably, the anniversary of their death is today, so.”

Of course they had chosen the day of their death to go stomping around their old house. Why wouldn’t they? Goshiki wanted to back out right then and there, but Suki had already started heading towards the partially opened door, Shirabu following. Groaning inwardly, he followed them both in, pausing with them in the entryway. 

It looked.. extremely eerie, but that was to be expected. Moonlight flooded in through the cracked windows, illuminating the shadows of the furniture. There was a thin coating of dust on the floor, which you could tell by the other footprints left by others who had braved the house themselves. It looked neat, like they had tried to sell the house again but never did or were able to, which, well, who would want to buy a house where two murders took place?

They continued to look around the downstairs area, taking everything in when they heard creaking coming from upstairs. Like there was someone, or multiple people, walking around upstairs. Goshiki wanted to high tail it out of there, but in the case of his dignity or his life? He’d much rather save face in front of Suki and Shirabu. “Guys, I think we should check out upstairs.” He whispered. 

Suki grinned and nodded her head enthusiastically. “Good idea!” She whispered back, carefully climbing the stairs with the others close behind. 

Once they reached the top, they were met with three bedrooms. One being the master bedroom, and the two off to the side being slightly smaller rooms. The doors to the master bedroom were wide open, revealing a simple room with large windows that were behind the bed. They headed off to the left first, opening the door to the smaller room. 

It was simple, but you could definitely tell that it used to be a boy’s bedroom. A gray comforter sat on the bed, and posters of famous volleyball players from Japan were on the walls. There was even a volleyball that sat on one of the shelves, collecting dust like everything else. On the dresser, sat a picture of the boy it used to belong to, along with a girl next to him. They looked the same, the same ashy colored hair and striking brown eyes. The both of them were smiling at the camera, arms around each other’s shoulders. It was a little sad, as they were most likely the two that were murdered here. He set the picture down, moving off to the next room.

This room seemed a little beat up, as the door had been slightly dented and was off the hinges a bit. The room had definitely belonged to the girl, from the purple comforter on the bed as well as the stuffed animals sitting on top. A pair of ballet slippers were poking out of a duffel bag by the door, as well as a pair of worn sneakers. She was a dancer, he only could assume, and on the dresser sat an old music box with a ballerina sitting, poised and pretty. 

Next to it were a bunch of photos in frames, ones with her and her brother, friends, and what looked to be a boyfriend. Then, there was a picture that wasn’t in a frame, one of her, her brother, and their parents, posed in front of a backdrop, like they were at some sort of event. The twins looked to be younger, about middle school aged, and they stood stoically, with no traces of happiness or smiles at all. Their father had his hands on their shoulders, and even his smile seemed forced too. The mother didn’t even bother trying to smile, and overall it didn’t seem like a happy family, from what Goshiki could tell. He flipped it over, and saw some writing on it.

‘Kohana and Eita Semi debut some of their mother’s designs at Tokyo Fashion Week 2015.’

“Huh.. So they were maybe thirteen in this..” He set the picture back down and sighed, looking around. This wasn’t scary anymore, it was just… sad, like he was seeing their lives before they died. Now he was really sure it was super disrespectful. “Guys, maybe we should—“

“G-Goshiki-kun… come look at this,” Suki’s voice shook, and she pointed to the corner of the room, where the bed was. 

He walked over and blanched, his face going as white as a sheet. There was a huge, dried blood stain there, though it looked slightly faded as there probably had been attempts to wash it out or something. They were all silent, and it made the reality of what happened here all the more clear. “Guys… we really should go—“

Just then, they heard creaking and squeaking behind them, like the door was being opened even wider, but veeeery slowly. A cold chill fell over the room, where it had been warm a few moments ago. 

“This is ridiculous, let’s just go—“ Shirabu turned, stopped in his tracks, beginning to stutter and stumble over his words. “I-I—“

“You know, it’s rude to trespass in other people’s houses.” A new male voice said, full of disdain. “We live here, you know.”

“We don’t actually live here anymore though, Eita…” A female voice chimed in. “We don’t… Well, we aren’t alive.”

Suki and Goshiki turned around, joining Shirabu in his shock. There, in front of them, stood two… people? They were there, that was for sure, but they looked absolutely ghastly. They looked human, but there were gashes all over them, blood stains on the clothes they were wearing, and the girl had a gash in her neck. But none of the wounds were bleeding, in fact they seemed quite alright. Goshiki hesitantly reached out to touch the girl’s hand, but instead it passed right through, sending a chill up his arm. 

“Hey, don’t touch my sister, got it?” The boy who had been addressed as Eita earlier scowled at him, putting his arm in front of her. 

Shirabu, having regained his confident aire, scoffed at him. “Or what? You’re going to possess our bodies?” 

“Shirabu-kun I wouldn’t test that—“ Suki started, shaking his shoulder.

“No! We can’t do that.” The girl laughed and smiled at them, the sound being light, and her smile being contagious. “Sorry about him, he’s just protective.”

Goshiki stared at them in awe. “So… you’re ghosts.” It was more a statement than a question, but he still wanted to confirm anyway.

The girl nodded. “Mhm… I’m Semi Kohana, and this is my brother, Semi Eita.”

“And… you’re dead.”

Eita scoffed, “Obviously.”

Suki sighed and looked at them both. “But… who? Why?”

Kohana gave Eita a helpless look, and then looked back to them with a simple answer. 

“We don’t know.”


	2. the final day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day everyone would always remember, the last day the Semi twins would ever see the light of day again. What happened to them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two! This one made me really sad, and if you’re not comfortable with reading about graphic content like people being murdered, then don’t read this chapter! If you do, then I warned you, and I apologize in advance 
> 
> (If you do want to read, but you don’t want to read about them getting killed, then skip from ‘Kohana’s eyes snapped open,” to ‘As soon as the phone had been hung up,’ Enjoy!)

Friday April 1st, 2018   
3:00 pm  
Eight hours until the murders 

 

“Jesus— Kohana what’s the rush??” 

Semi Kohana merely laughed as she pulled her twin brother, Semi Eita, along behind her. Classes had just ended for the day, and the weekend was finally upon them. Even better, neither of the two had clubs or other after-school activities to attend, which seemed like the first time in forever. Ballet had been canceled due to her dance teacher being sick, and she forced Eita to ditch volleyball for just one day so that they, plus their father, could spend a night together.

“We don’t get days off very often! Besides, I wanna get out of here before your coach catches you ditching.” Kohana grinned dorkily as he narrowed his eyes at her, shaking his head with a sigh. “What? You didn’t have to give in!”

Eita rolled his eyes as he unchained their bike, mounting it. “Yeah yeah, come on.”

Kohana smiled and jumped on the back, looking up at the sound of her name being called. “Hayato!”

Her boyfriend, Yamagata Hayato, smiled as he approached them, leaning over and kissing her softly. Eita pretended to gag, rolling his eyes. “Hey, Yamagata-san.”

“Hey,” Hayato smiled and stood next to them, his hands in his pockets. “You not coming to practice today?”

“No, I’m being kidnapped by your girlfriend.” He sighed dramatically, earning a shove from Kohana. “Don’t rat me out.”

He chuckled. “My lips are sealed, I’ll see you guys on Monday.”

“Wait, my recital is on Saturday, you’re coming right?” Kohana grasped her boyfriend’s hands, giving him a pouty look. 

Hayato laughed, “You don’t have to beg, I’m there 100%.” He pecked her cheek again, backing up. “See you tomorrow!”

“Love you!”

“Love you too!” 

She grinned and turned to hold her brother’s torso, “Alright, home we go!”

Eita snorted and started pedaling off, biking back home. Their house wasn’t too far away from their school, Shiratorizawa Academy, ten minutes walking and five minutes if you biked, at least for them. They passed friends on their way into their neighborhood, greeting them as they pulled up to their house, Eita leaning the bike against the side of the house. 

“I wonder if dad is home from work,” Kohana hummed, unlocking the front door. “Dad?” 

“Ah, you’re both here?” Their father, Semi Ryota came out of his office, looking pleasantly surprised. Ryota was a hardworking man, even more so since it was just him supporting his children. Even though he did receive child support from his ex, it wasn’t enough to support them by itself. He used to be a stockbroker, but since their move to a more suburban area, he’d quit and gotten a job working at a shipping company, crunching numbers, thirty minutes away. It wasn’t his old job, but it was for his children, and he would do anything for them to have a comfortable life, wherever they chose. “I thought you two had clubs?”

The twins greeted their father as they slipped their shoes off, Kohana running over to hug him. “Ballet was canceled! And I got Eita to ditch.” She giggled.

“Ah, so she got to you again did she?” Ryota chuckled and hugged her back.

Eita rolled his eyes and started going upstairs. “It’s the eyes, she makes them all sad.”

Their father chuckled and ruffled her hair. “Hey, how about tonight we do something? Movie night in the living room?”

“As long as Kohana doesn’t choose another sappy romantic comedy, I’m down.”

“If I recall, Eita, you teared up when we watched The Notebook.” Kohana teased.

The two stared at each other for a moment before he continued his way up the stairs. “You said you wouldn’t bring that up again.”

“And miss out on an opportunity to tease my dear twin? Never!” 

Ryota chuckled softly and headed towards the office area. “Stop bickering and get some work done. I’ll make dinner in a little bit.”

Kohana laughed and bounded up the stairs after her brother, going to her room and shutting the door. She tossed her dance bag down by the door and turned on her music box, a gift she’d received from her mother when she first began dancing ballet. She hardly saw her mom anymore, which was bittersweet in itself. They didn’t have the best relationship, nor did she enjoy her mother’s constant nagging, but it was still her mother, and admittedly, there were times where she missed her.

The music box played a soft ballad, causing her to sway a bit to the tune. She began to dance and twirl, still in her uniform, and despite her aching feet from the last few rehearsals. It was her passion, though, ballet, and it always had been since she was a child. Even if it had been her mother that had gotten her started on it, she made it into something that she wanted to do, not something she was forced to do.

“Practice was canceled and yet you still practice.”

Kohana turned to see her brother leaned in the doorway, still dressed in his uniform as well. His hands were shoved in his pockets, and he was smiling fondly, watching her dance. “Makes me wish I had kept at it.”

She chuckled and got off her tiptoes. “I wish you had too.”

Back when they were younger, the twins had done ballet together, though Eita had grown interested in other things and began thinking of ballet as “too girly”, so he left. Kohana had felt a little sad after he quit, but learned that they didn’t have to do every single thing together.

“Do you remember any of the positions?” Kohana asked, beckoning him over.

Eita chuckled and went to stand next to her, “I remember all of them. How could I forget them, when you practice all over the house?”

She chuckled, “Touché.”

Together, the two moved into each position one by one, Eita still possessing the same poise, elegance, and grace he had when he was young. There wasn’t really any room for the both of them to do anything more than that, but it was moments like these between the two of them that strengthened their bond. Nothing needed to be said.

After they’d done this for a while, they stopped and smiled at each other, Kohana moving to hug him tightly. He returned it, a soft smile on his lips. “I love you, Hana.”

Kohana smiled at the nickname and ruffled his hair. “Love you too, Eita.”

 

***

 

9:30 pm  
Two hours and thirty minutes until the murders 

 

The Semi’s has been able to come to a compromise in regards to a movie, though not before lots of debating over the dinner table and as they were cleaning up. Eita didn’t want any sappy romance movies, and Kohana didn’t want a movie that would bore her to death, (aka, one of Eita’s many many docuseries he had on standby). However, they were both able to find a movie that they’d watch without complaint. 

Harry Potter. 

Were they marathoning all the movies? Absolutely, the twins were nothing if not absolute nerds at heart, and Harry Potter was something the twins could enjoy together. 

They popped the first movie in, sprawled out on the couch in their pajamas and Kohana wearing her favorite fuzzy socks, with a bowl of popcorn in between them. Their dad sat on the chair, dozing off slightly, and they didn’t try to wake him. He worked his butt off during the day, and they knew that, so they let him sleep. 

Eita hit play on the remote and the familiar opening began playing, the two of them smiling. 

They looked forward to the night ahead. 

 

***

 

10:55 pm  
One hour and five minutes until the murders

 

Kohana woke up to a loud clattering outside, her heart racing from having just woken up. She looked around, trying to calm her rising heart rate. The living room was dark, and Eita was passed out, cuddling a pillow. Their dad was gone, and the movie was playing still, having moved on to the fourth one. She rubbed her eyes, reaching over to pause it as she got up to get a drink of water from the kitchen. She went into the kitchen, blinking slowly as she saw a messily scrawled note on the counter. 

‘Kohana and or Eita,   
I forgot something at the store, so I’ll be out for a while. Don’t freak out! I’ll be back soon,  
Dad.’

Kohana shrugged it off, grabbing a glass of water and heading back to the living room. Whatever had been outside was gone now, and she sat back down on the couch to continue the movie, setting her glass on the table beside her. 

She unpaused it, leaning back on the pillows. She was planning on watching, but she ended up dozing off, once again. 

 

***

 

11:58  
Two minutes until the murders

 

They crouched by the front door, watching, waiting for any more movement in the house. From peeking into the window, the twins were fast asleep on the couch, no one else in sight. 

They crept up the stairs and stood in front of the door, testing the handle. Unlocked, perfect, it would’ve been a hassle had it been locked. Not that this person wasn’t prepared to pick a lock if needed, but this just made it a whole lot easier. They checked their watch, 11:59. 

Slowly and carefully, they opened the door and entered.

 

***

 

12:00 am

 

Kohana’s eyes snapped open upon hearing the front door open. She peeked over the couch cushions and saw a hooded figure, bathed in moonlight and brandishing a sharp object in their hand. She paled, and she felt her heart begin to race again. She ducked back down, shaking Eita frantically. “E-Eita…” She whispered, her voice shaky as she heard the stranger start coming towards the living room. “W-Wake up…!”

“Huh— What?” Eita mumbled, frowning when he saw her completely terrified expression. “Kohana?”

“T-There’s someone in the house,” She whimpered, hearing the footsteps growing closer. 

Eita peeked over the couch as well, ducking back down quickly. “Holy shit…” He mumbled, covering his mouth. He looked to her quickly, motioning for her to get down onto the floor and mouthing for her to get ready to run. Once she did so, he gave her one last look before grabbing the remote to the tv and tossing it as hard as he could into the kitchen, grabbing the intruder’s attention away from them. Once they had begun moving over towards the sound, Eita grabbed his sister’s hand and bolted towards towards the open front door. 

Unfortunately, they were spotted.

Eita let out a strangled cry as his other arm was grabbed and yanked away from Kohana. The masked intruder then grabbed Kohana by the ponytail as she tried desperately again to make a run for it, held up their weapon of choice, a big steak knife, and drove it deep into her side. She let out a wounded cry, tears rushing down her face like a river. Blood began gushing out of the wound, staining her once nice, white pajama top a deep, dark red.

Despite her injury, she still tried to flee, though her energy and strength was being sapped away by the second. The knife was twisted deeper into her, and then yanked out, causing blood to flow from the wound faster. She could see the attacker trying to go for another blow, but was stopped by Eita, wrapping his arms around their middle and pulling back as hard as he could. 

“Go, Kohana, go!” He grunted.

Kohana could feel the grip on her ponytail loosen, and as soon as she was free, she ran as fast as she could to the staircase, struggling up the stairs as she tried to stop the rapid blood flow from the wound in her side. She heard grunts and cries of pain from her brother as she dragged one foot after the other up the stairs, and she couldn’t bring herself to look down to see him fighting for his life. Soon, after what seemed like hours, she got to top of the stairs, gasping softly at how exhausted she was. Hesitantly, she peered over the side to see how Eita was holding up, though she got a sick feeling in her stomach when all she was able to hear grunting from the other person, the person that definitely was not Eita. She saw the stranger standing over him, obviously having overpowered him either by brute strength or just having drained enough of his energy, driving the knife into his chest repeatedly as he desperately called for help. He caught her tear-filled gaze, smiled weakly up at her and mouthed something to her, and though she couldn’t make it out completely, she nodded to him, the tears falling quicker as she mouthed her response back:

“I love you too, Eita.”

Reluctantly, she ripped her gaze away from the struggle and made her way to her brother’s room, her father’s room, and finally her room, leaving bloody handprints and drops of blood everywhere, as to hopefully confuse them and buy herself a little time. She stumbled into her room and locked the door, barricading it with her chair under the doorknob. She reached into her pocket and quickly tried calling her father, with no response. Next, she called 911, who said they would send someone over ASAP, but could she really hold on until then?

Finally, the last call she made, was to her boyfriend, Hayato. She could hear the footsteps coming up the stairs, then fading away to search the rooms. The phone rang once, then twice, then--

“Babe?”

Kohana cried out with relief, curling up on her side. “H-Hayato…” She whimpered softly, one hand still holding her side.

“Whoa whoa whoa, what’s wrong? Are you okay? What’s going on?” She could hear the concern and worry in his voice, and it broke her heart to think that this might be the last time they ever spoke.

“S-Someone broke in and attacked us,’ She whispered frantically, hearing the steps stop in front of her room. “My dad is out and I don’t know where he is, and… a-and…” She stopped, beginning to weep again. “I-I think they killed Eita…”

The line was silent for a moment before he spoke again. “O-Okay, listen baby it’s gonna be okay you’re gonna be okay, I’m calling the cops and—”

“I already did,” Kohana gasped softly as she heard a bang against her door, and then another one. She turned back to the phone, sobbing quietly. “I-I love you, Hayato Yamagata, you hear me? D-Death won’t ever stop that.’

“Kohana—”

The door burst open, the chair flying back as the figure moved into the room. Kohana covered her mouth, trembling as she crouched behind her bed and cried silently. 

“Kohana? Baby, please answer…” Hayato sounded near tears himself, and she could only imagine he was raking his hand through his hair, something he only did when he got nervous. 

Kohana felt a hand grip her ponytail again and she screamed as she was pulled and forced onto her back, looking up at the cold eyes of the intruder, her brother’s killer, and, she was sure that they were going to be her killer too. “P-Please, who are you? Why are you doing this?”

But she received no answer, instead only a knife pointed at her throat as it dug into the skin of her neck, then deeper, and deeper until it was embedded into her windpipe. She coughed and tried pulling it out herself, but she only was able to cough up blood and try to catch a breath. As she gasped and tried to breathe, she saw her attacker pick up her phone and hang it up, then drop it next to her in the pool of blood that was slowly becoming bigger from the wound in her neck. Her chest heaved as she turned her head weakly to watch them walk out of her room, and then back outside where she heard the door shut. 

Kohana could feel herself fading out of consciousness, her vision becoming spotty. It was a lie, what they said about dying, your life didn’t flash before your eyes at all. It was a slow, painful, agonizing experience, and yet all she could think about was her brother’s body downstairs, laying in the entryway. She wondered what his last thoughts were, probably hoping she was able to call for help and get out of there. Guess she ended up letting him down in his last moments, but she knew he wouldn’t blame her. 

She turned to look back up at the ceiling, letting out a final sigh. She felt… peaceful, almost, which was odd to feel, considering she’d just been stabbed and was bleeding out, but it was true. She just hoped her dad would be okay, and Hayato, oh… her sweet, sweet Hayato.

Kohana closed her eyes for the last time, a single tear squeezing out and running down her cheek. 

Maybe Eita was there, in whatever afterlife there was. 

 

***

 

As soon as the phone had been hung up, Hayato had been out the door. Though, in all fairness, he’d been getting ready to get the hell over to his girlfriend’s house as soon as she called him. Kohana never called in the middle of the night, unless it was an emergency. 

He ran as fast as he could to her house, his house a few blocks from hers. His calves and quads were burning, and his lungs were screaming at him to slow down, take a breath, but he couldn’t. Not when Kohana was in danger, or worse. Tears were blurring his vision, but he didn’t stop until he reached her house, his heart dropping at what he found. 

There was police tape in front of the house, and a small crowd had gathered to see what all the commotion had been about. Police officers were asking the bystanders questions; if they had seen anyone or heard anything strange. An ambulance was parked nearby, and he dropped to his knees, watching as two EMTs carried a body bag out on a stretcher, then another set of EMTs carried another out as well, all four of them looking solemn. 

Kohana was in one of them, that was all he could think about. Kohana was in one of those bags.

Hayato finally allowed himself to cry, more than he should’ve probably, but he didn’t care. His girlfriend was gone, gone forever. He would never be able to kiss her again, or hug her or hold her hand. He’d never be able to see her dance again, or see her at school. She wouldn’t be there, cheering for him and her brother at volleyball games. He would never hear her sweet, sweet voice again, and they’d never be able to have the life they’d always talked about. 

Ryota arrived at the scene a few moments later, his eyes widening as he asked what happened. He fell to his knees too when he learned the news, and it might seem cliche, but it was then that it began to rain. Like the sky was crying for the loss of two of the kindest, most wonderful people the earth had ever been graced with. 

Alas, someone else was there too, blending into the crowd of mourners. They took a final sweep of the scene before disappearing, melting away into the crowd. After all, they’d come to do what they planned, and now, they could go. 

For the Semi twins’ lights had been snuffed out, once and for all.


	3. dirty little secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes decide to meddle a little more, but when has a little meddling hurt anyone?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes I suck, yes this chapter took forever, but hopefully chapter four won’t be like that 😔 Hopefully you guys like this chapter anyway though!

Present Day: 2019

 

Goshiki couldn’t shake off the sick, gutted feeling in his stomach by Monday, the story of Kohana and Eita’s murders taking up every ounce of space in his brain. They sure were good at storytelling. 

He was distracted during his classes, and wasn’t able to concentrate on anything else other than the ghastly forms of the twins, their bloody gashes and pale faces unable to escape his mind. It was one thing that a real life crime occurred, and a ghost story to go along with it, but for those ghosts to actually be real? That was a whole other thing. 

Before he knew it, the day was over and he was distractedly spiking volleyballs in practice. Suki and Shirabu seemed just as shaken, or at least off, seeming just as distracted as he. Shirabu wasn’t as snippy as usual, and kept quiet as he practiced his setting. Suki, too, was unusually quiet, as she stood by, ready to hand waters to anyone who needed them. They were all deep in thought, it seemed. 

“Hey, look who survived~!” Tendou called, strolling up to them with Kawanishi in tow. “So, how was the Semi house?”

Goshiki glanced at Suki and Shirabu, who merely shrugged. He looked at his upperclassmen, shrugging as well. “It wasn’t really all that scary, creepy, sure, but nothing scary about it.” 

Tendou pouted, crossing his arms. “You didn’t find anything interesting?”

Goshiki was about to answer no until Suki piped up for him. “Was Yamagata senpai really dating the girl who died?” She asked, pointing to the boy who had just walked into the gym. 

“Ooh, asking the deep questions.” Tendou chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, they dated for two years, he was real torn up after she died. Rumor has it that he was on the phone with her as she was being stabbed to death.”

Goshiki shared an uneasy look with the others. Of course, they knew that to be true, but they couldn’t let him know that. “That’s… awful.” He mumbled, giving a shake of his head. 

“Mmhm, he hasn’t dated anyone since, those two were in it for the long haul.” Kawanishi sighed. “It’s kinda depressing sometimes, he’ll get in this mood and you’re not able to get him out of it.”

Suki hummed, “Is he willing to talk about her?”

Tendou shrugged. “Sometimes, you gotta catch him in the right mood though. I wouldn’t, if I were you. I may be an ass, but I know when there are boundaries.” And with that he walked off, going to block for Ushijima, who had called him over. 

So, basically what he’s saying is he’s an asshole with standards. Good to know. 

Goshiki glanced over at Suki, who was looking at Yamagata Hayato. He was chatting amiably with a few of the other team members, a smile on his face. But who knew what that smile was hiding behind it? Pain, anger, sadness, even after all this time. He didn’t want to dig up any unwanted memories, or, rather memories that may have been pleasant, but he’d rather forget. “Suki, maybe we should just leave the poor guy alone…”

Suki wasn’t paying attention though, as she was still looking at him. The little wheels in her head looked as if they were turning, churning up an idea. 

“Takeno-san, I know what you’re thinking, but maybe we should just let it go.” Shirabu chided. “It’s not our business.”

“But maybe he knows something about the flowers! Or maybe he’s been the one leaving them.” She started walking over to him, not waiting for a response from the others. “Yamagata senpai!

Hayato looked up to see three first years approaching him, and honestly, what else could he feel but confused? “Uh, hey… Can I help you guys with something?”

“No, sorry we just—“

“We wanted to ask about your girlfriend, Kohana?” Suki interrupted, looking at him earnestly. “We saw a picture of you guys and…” She trailed off, seeing the look on his face. 

Goshiki could see him tense up, and the smile that was on his face quickly dropped and turned into a serious expression. This was a bad idea.

To their surprise though, he merely sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Figured you guys would come talk to me eventually, Tendou told me you were gonna look at… that place.” He looked off to the side, a far away look in his eyes. “They never fixed up her room, the cops let me over there to get my stuff and her room was still messed up…” He quickly wiped at his eyes, taking a deep breath. “Whatever, sorry.”

“No, we’re sorry for prying.” Shirabu bowed his head apologetically. “If we can ask, something though…?”

He shrugged. “Shoot.”

“Have you been to the house lately…? Where they… died?”

Hayato shook his head. “I don’t make it a point to visit my dead girlfriend’s house where she was brutally stabbed.” He said coolly. 

Goshiki chuckled nervously. “Ah, well, we were just wondering because when we went, there was a bouquet of flowers by the door and they looked fresh… you didn’t leave them?”

“No, must’ve been someone else.” He shrugged, glancing towards the gym doors. The girls volleyball team was coming in to practice with them. Oyama Rin, the girls captain, and Ushijima were good friends, and they made it a point to get their teams together every so often for joint practices to get stronger. He grimaced when two blonde girls in specific walked in through the door. “Ugh.”

Suki turned to look at them, tilting her head. “What? Who are they?”

“Satomi and Sora Takamoto, they’re third years. Vice captain and the ace respectively.” He scoffed. “They think they’re all that.”

Goshiki turned to look at them too, and he could definitely tell that they carried themselves confidently. They were identical, though one wore her hair up in a bun while the other wore it in a high ponytail. Their green eyes were striking, and seemed to bore into you if they happened to look in your direction. The one with the bun separated from her sister and ran towards Tendou, calling out to him and planting a kiss on his cheek.

“Wait— That’s Tendou’s girlfriend??” Goshiki asked in disbelief. Granted, Tendou talked of her often, but he’d never actually seen her before. He had thought maybe she wasn’t real or something. “But she’s like—“

“A ten compared to him? I know.” Hayato scoffed. “But if you knew Satomi, you’d see that they actually aren’t all that different personality wise.”

Shirabu tilted his head as observed the couple, and then Hayato. “You don’t seem to like her that much, or her sister… Why?”

Hayato shrugged, tearing his gaze away from the sisters. “It’s not Sora I have a problem with,” He glanced towards the lone twin sister, who was practicing her spikes with Rin. “She’s actually the innocent one here.”

“Are you saying Satomi isn’t?” 

“Satomi is the definition of a salty bitch, she was really jealous of Kohana and Eita, because of their family.” Hayato explained. “Their mom is a super famous fashion designer, Semi Seina, so when they first started going here they were getting a lot of attention.”

Suki frowned. “But why would that bug Satomi?”

“Because before Eita and Kohana started going here, Satomi and Sora were the center of attention, their mom was this Olympic gold medalist for figure skating, so they were pretty popular.” 

“Anyway, Satomi didn’t like the fact that they were no longer the center of everyone’s attention,” He continued. “It only got worse from there, though…”

Goshiki tilted his head. “How…?”

 

***  
Flashback: Two years ago 

 

“Hey, Semi!”

Kohana groaned inwardly, the shrill voice of Takamoto Satomi piercing her eardrums. Why couldn’t she just leave her alone? Bracing herself, she turned around, plastering a sweet smile on her face. “Oh, hi Satomi!” 

Satomi sneered and walked up to her, jabbing her finger in her face. “Cut the nice crap, Semi, it was one thing for you to just waltz up in here like you own the place, but you’ve crossed a line!” She spat, causing Kohana to take a step back. “You and your stupid twin brother.”

“My brother? What has Eita got to do with this?” She frowned and looked around the empty hallway. She’d been on her way out to ballet, and most other kids were in their clubs already. “Look, I never wanted your “spotlight” Satomi—“

“Just stop lying!” Satomi seethed, her fists clenched. “And as for your brother? He broke Sora’s heart, he won’t even give her the time of day because he’s too busy with you!”

“I—“ Kohana sighed, taking a deep breath in. “I’m sorry about Sora, but if Eita doesn’t like her then that’s not on me, or him! He’s just been focused on school, he isn’t looking for a girlfriend right now.” She huffed and shouldered her backpack and started to walk off. “I have to go, I’m gonna be late—“

“I’m not done talking to you!” 

Kohana felt a hand on her wrist, and she was whirled around, Satomi’s green eyes boring into her. If looks could kill, she would definitely be dead. 

Satomi’s grip on her wrist tightened as she pulled her closer. “I swear, the rest of our time in high school, I’m going to make your life a living hell.” She yanked her closer, so that her ear was by her mouth. “I bet you’ll wish you were dead by the end of first year.” She hissed. 

Kohana’s eyes widened and she pulled her wrist away, walking away quickly. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she kept glancing over her shoulder, even as she was a good ways away from the school. She still felt unsettled, even when she was home later, and she had trouble falling asleep, Satomi’s words ringing in her ears. 

She wouldn’t really do that… would she?

 

***  
Present Day

 

“So, Satomi threatened her? Did she ever follow through on her threats?” Suki asked.

“From what I was told, yes, but it wasn’t as severe as Satomi made them out to be.” Hayato sighed. “She always scared the shit out of Hana though, always messed with her to get a reaction out of her.” He shook his head. “She’s a nasty bitch, that’s for sure.”

Shirabu glanced at her again. “What is she like, now that Kohana and her brother are gone?”

“Well—“

“Why are you three just standing there?” The gruff voice of their coach, Washijo Tanji, came from behind them, causing them to flinch. “Get back to it!”

“Yes sir!”

 

***

 

“Hey, guys!”

Goshiki and Shirabu turned around to see Suki running up to them after practice had ended, both boys aching from the extra laps they’d been made to do for just dawdling around. She caught up to them, holding up her phone. “I’ve got a lead!”

Shirabu raised a brow. “A lead?”

“Yeah! Remember the flowers we found at the house? Well, flowers have meanings—“ She shoved her phone into Goshiki’s hands. “Look!”

Goshiki looked down at it, a website about flower meanings was pulled up, and as he scrolled through, he found the flowers that they had found by the front door of the Semi house. Upon first looking at the bouquet, it seemed random, but with the flower’s meanings right in front of him, it sort of began to make sense. Sort of.

“Wait wait, back to the whole lead thing, are you implying that we should meddle even more than we already have?” Shirabu scoffed. “Count me out.”

“What? Why?” Suki frowned. “Shirabu-kun, this is important! People died!”

“Yeah, and they’re gone! Nothing we do now will change that.” He shook his head and kept walking, adjusting his bag. 

Goshiki frowned and walked after him, grabbing his shoulder. “What if it wasn’t their dad that did it?”

Shirabu paused and turned around, looking incredulous. “What the hell are you talking about?”

He frowned at him, keeping his hand on his shoulder. “What if their dad is telling the truth? What if he was framed?”

“And who would’ve framed him? Satomi? She probably didn’t even know him!” 

“Maybe not her, but talking to Hayato made me think that they maybe didn’t look at everyone they should have!” He took a deep breath. “And… I can’t stop thinking about Kohana and Eita.”

“Me either…” Suki chimed in softly, her voice cracking. “T-They deserve justice, closure, and I just don’t think that their dad did it.”

Goshiki nodded in agreement. “I don’t think so either, so Suki and I will continue to look into it, whether you’re in or out.”

They all stood there silently, the setting sun bathing them in an orange light. Finally, Shirabu shoved Goshiki’s hand off his shoulder and exhaled loudly. “...I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them either…” He said suddenly, taking Suki and Goshiki by surprise. 

“When I was going to sleep, the night after we heard their story, I… I couldn’t sleep the whole night through. Every time I closed my eyes, I could see the murders happening and I—“

Suki walked up to him and pulled him into a hug. “It’s okay… Us too.” She smiled and pulled back. “Which is why I think, no… I know it’s the right thing to do to help them get closure, to find peace!”

Goshiki smiled a bit, “It’ll be easier with three of us to investigate anyway.”

“This seems like a terrible idea, and if we get in trouble, there could be consequences.” Shirabu crossed his arms, letting out a sigh. 

Goshiki and Suki looked at each other, sharing a smile before looking back to him. “We know, but it’s all in the name of justice!” Suki giggled. “But we’re all in this together!” 

There was another pause while Shirabu considered this, and Goshiki swore that he smiled, just a little bit. “Yeah, all in this together. Now, let me see those flowers.”

 

***

 

Instead of going home, the three went back to the Semi house. It was a little less creepy in the daylight, but nevertheless it was still a haunted house. Speaking of which, the twins were out and about a little earlier than the last time they spoke. 

It was almost as if the twins were still alive and living in their house. When they walked in, Kohana was in the living room, doing ballet positions while Eita was in the kitchen, moving around as if he were preparing a snack.

(Kohana would later explain that it made them feel normal, and helped them from going crazy, which was understandable).

Once all five of them had gathered in the living room, Suki started out first. 

“We don’t think your father killed you.”

Eita crossed his arms. “Well no shit, what reason would our father have for killing us? He loved us.”

Suki nodded, smiling a little. “We know, but we were talking to Hayato, and—“

“Hayato?” Kohana’s breath caught, and if she could’ve cried, she would have. “You… You talked to Hayato?”

Goshiki smiled softly and nodded. “We did… He’s still on the volleyball team, we see him everyday.”

Eita chuckled, “You guys play volleyball huh? Is Washijo still the coach?”

“Oh, you couldn’t tell by us limping in here?” Shirabu teased. “Yeah, while we were talking to Hayato he scolded us.”

“What did he say?” Kohana pressed, biting her lip. 

“Well, I think we made him mad at first, bringing you up, but he gave us a lead, sort of.” Suki pulled her phone out. “Satomi Takamoto.”

Kohana tensed, and Eita put his hand on her arm. “I wouldn’t put it past that snake to do something to us, but murder?” He shook his head. “The person that killed us had a bigger build, and Satomi is, well, small.” 

Suki grinned. “Already thought of that! Hayato mentioned that their mom is a former Olympic figure skater, so I looked them up, and with the amount of money they had, Satomi very well could have hired someone to kill you!”

“And that’s not all, the first night we showed up, we found a bouquet of flowers laying outside the door.” Goshiki added. “We looked up the meanings, and at first it may seem random but—“

“Yellow carnations, daisies, Black-eyed Susans, red poppies, zinnias, and forget-me-nots.” Shirabu interrupted, getting back to the point. “Yellow carnations indicate disdain, daisies represent innocence, Black-eyed Susans are justice, red poppies and zinnias are remembrance, and forget-me-nots mean… well, not to forget.” He hummed and folded his hands. “We came up with a theory.”

Suki nodded. “First, the daisies could represent the death of innocence, and the yellow carnations could represent the disdain Satomi had for you and Eita!”

“We figured the Black-eyed Susans might mean justice was served when you died,” Goshiki continued. “And the remembrance, either to remember you guys, or to remember the crime.. The forget-me-nots, we think is for the killer saying, ‘Don’t forget what I did’.” 

Kohana and Eita sat there, watching them explain, Eita looking bewildered while Kohana looked a little more eager. He looked at her, and she nodded at him, before looking at the others. “Wait, you guys.”

Goshiki stopped, his voice faltering. “Yes?”

“Are you implying you want to help us?” Eita spoke up, sounding slightly disbelieving.

The trio all looked at each other, then looked back to the twins. “Yes.” They said in unison.

Kohana grinned. “Yes! Eita, we’re gonna get help!”

He sighed. “Okay, but you guys know that this could be—“

“Dangerous and could have consequences? Yes, we discussed this.” Shirabu sighed. “Nevertheless, we’re in, so let us help you.”

“Please, Eita??” Kohana begged, clutching his arm.

“Well— Jeez, don’t look at me like that!” He sighed. “Fine, they can help.”

She cheered and hugged him tightly, the three other teenagers unable to keep themselves from smiling at the sight, even Shirabu. 

Suki stood up and put her hands on her hips, looking down at their motley crew, consisting of three living teenagers and two dead, ghost ones. Not the most normal crew, but nothing about their lives from here on out would be normal.

“Alright team, let’s catch ourselves a killer.”


	4. another one bites the dust (not literally)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to question their first suspects! Very exciting, but will someone catch onto their late night activities?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hHHH IM SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG FOR CHAPTER FOUR ESPECIALLY WHEN I SAID IT WOULDNT, SCHOOL WAS KICKING MY ASS. However, I’m back, and school is over, I have the next 13 chapters planned out so updates will be coming! Enjoy!

That night

After talking it out, and with a little help from Eita and Kohana, our three detectives came up with a plan.

Operation: Get the Takamoto Twins alone so that they can grill them about the Semi Twins, was a go for the next day. 

How they had decided to accomplish this was by cornering the both of them at the same time, so they wouldn’t have time to go back to the other and warn them. They would separate them, and then question them away from one another so that they’d have no backup, no one to fall back on if they were floundering for an answer, or even an excuse. Shirabu and Suki would take Satomi, and Goshiki would take Sora. They figured that with the two of them questioning Satomi, she’d crack easier, or not, but they were hoping for at least something. Goshiki, however, decided to take Sora alone, because according to Hayato, and others, Sora was the more docile and gentle twin, so he wouldn’t have to worry about getting shoved into a locker or something. Satomi was more of the hothead, so at least if Shirabu got shoved into a locker, Suki would be there to help him, and vice versa.

Though, it was funnier to Goshiki to imagine Shirabu getting crammed into a locker, not that he would ever say that to his face.

 

***  
The Next Day, before volleyball practice 

 

It was time to put the plan in motion, with a shared look from the three first years when the twins first entered the room, moving quickly across the gym floor to catch up to them.

 

“Ahh, Sora-san!” Goshiki called, running up to her quickly and grabbing her arm. “I need you for something, it’s important!”

“Important? But…” She had been about to protest, only to see her sister being dragged in the opposite direction by Suki and Shirabu, looking obviously displeased as they pulled her by both arms. “I suppose, okay, lead the way.”

He smiled and pulled her off, into the hallway that led to the clubroom and into the clubroom itself. He shut and locked the door, turning back to look at a mildly concerned Sora, who looked about ready to go into a defensive position. “So… what is it that you needed again?”

“Okay, it may sound weird but… I need to ask you about Kohana and Eita Semi.” He started, watching her face closely.

Sora’s expression looked unreadable at first, going between confusion to perhaps feeling more resigned, as if she had been expecting someone to ask about it at some point. “Look, I never dated Eita if that’s what you’re wondering.”

Goshiki shook his head, “No, not that, um, is it true that your sister hated them?”

“Oh,” She nodded. “She absolutely despised them both, Kohana the most though. She was extremely jealous of her, I’m not sure why though… She always bullied her and blamed her for Eita not dating me, which wasn’t even that important to me after a few weeks.”

“Well, Yamagata-san said that it was because she was jealous that she and Eita had taken you guys’ places as the most popular ones.”

Sora snorted, “Seriously? I’m sorry but, that’s awfully pathetic… I never cared much for the spotlight, if anything, I was pretty grateful that it was off of me for a change.” She chuckled. “It was kind of sad though.”

He tilted his head, “What’s that?”

“I actually wanted to be friends with Kohana, she seemed like she’d be a cool person to hang out with, but Satomi pretty much made it impossible for that to ever happen,” She sighed, sounding defeated and a little sad. “Both Kohana and Eita avoided us like wildfire if they could, because wherever I was, so was Satomi… She was so awful to them both, though Kohana more than him.” She shrugged helplessly. “I guess I’ll never know what it would’ve been like… Ah, sorry, was there a reason you were asking?”

“Actually,” He nodded, smiling sheepishly. “Yamagata-san also mentioned that Satomi threatened her, do you know if she ever followed through on any of those threats?”

Her eyes widened, “What? No, I didn’t even know she had threatened her, what did she say?”

“Apparently she had said that Kohana would wish to be dead by the end of first year…” He faltered, seeing Sora’s shocked expression. “I guess you didn’t know…?”

“No! Oh, oh my god, I didn’t… I didn’t know.” Sora sighed softly. “I suppose it doesn’t matter anymore, since they’re gone but, god that’s awful… I can’t believe that she would— Ah, actually, I can.” She shook her head. “Regardless, I feel so bad that she did that to her…” 

“It’s not like you knew,” He reassured her, smiling. “I’m sure they wouldn’t blame you, if they were here to see you feel so bad.” Of course, he would let them know later, but she didn’t know that, nor did she need to know.

Sora sighed, smiling a little. “You’re probably right, Kohana and Eita were nice and kindhearted, it’s a shame I couldn’t really get to know them better.”

“It’s a shame I didn’t get to know them,” He said honestly, sighing. “Anyway, sorry for ambushing you, I just— well, I wanted to know what you knew.”

“Oh, sure, I don’t mind.” Sora smiled, heading towards the door. “Say, what’s your name?”

“Goshiki Tsutomu.”

“Well, Goshiki-kun, if I didn’t know any better, it seems like you’re trying to solve a mystery.” She smiled and waved, heading back in the direction of the gym.

Goshiki sighed a sigh of relief, leaving a few moments after she, going to the corner of the gym, meeting up with Suki and Shirabu to hear what they had to report.

***  
After Practice

“Jesus! First years are so fucking annoying.” 

“Gee, thanks Satomi.”

“You know what I mean, Masami.”

Ah yes, Shoji Masami did indeed know what Satomi meant, one of the perks of being friends with the Takamoto twins. She only really talked to Sora, she was only really there for Satomi to vent and bitch to, which she had grown accustomed, unfortunately.

It’s not like she was really friends with them on her own accord, their moms were friends, and while her mom had a new friend, Masami had gotten two, Satomi and Sora. The twins were third years while she was a first, but the three of them attended Shiratorizawa, and they were all on the girl’s volleyball team together. It was pretty routine, hanging out with them, and didn’t really have anyone else outside of them. But she would appreciate a change, something to shake up her daily life. 

“So, tell me, why are first years annoying?” Masami teased, earning a chuckle from Sora.

“Well, I had two today come up and ask me about the Semi’s, as if I actually care about them still. Plus, they’re dead, I don’t see a reason for me to care.” She ranted, adjusting the straps on her bag. “But that isn’t even the worst part!”

“Well, what was the worst part?”

 

“It was like they were accusing me of killing those Semi bitches! Please, as if I would want to waste my time and effort on those two.” Satomi huffed. “Two words; no, and thank you.”

Masami chuckled, “No thank you is three words.”

“Masami shut up!”

She snickered, tuning out Satomi’s bitching about the Semi’s, catching sight of a few of her classmates, Goshiki Tsutomu, Takeno Suki, and Shirabu Kenjirou. They were gathered by the bicycle rack, talking in hushed tones with one another as if they didn’t want anyone overhearing them. They all gave a nod, and then walked off in the same direction together, walking rather quickly. Masami watched them go with an ever growing curiosity, wondering why they would want to talk to the twins, and about the Semi twins for that matter. It was intriguing, to say the least.

“—Masami? Masami, are you okay?”

“Oh,” She looked up, smiling sheepishly. She must’ve zoned out or something. “Yes?”

Sora chuckled, “I was just saying that I have ice skating until late, so I gotta go. See you tomorrow?”

She nodded, “I’ll see you tomorrow, actually I’ve got something to, uh yeah, bye!” And before either one could say anything, she rushed off in the direction that her classmates had gone in, leaving Satomi and Sora in the dust.

Masami kept out of sight, keeping a safe distance between her and the three in front of her as they quickly walked into a neighborhood, which she could only assume was where they all or one of them lived. Eager to study maybe? Or they were just going to hang out with one another, she couldn’t really say for sure, but turns out she was wrong on both counts, as they headed towards an old, run down, abandoned house on the corner, entering it and leaving the door cracked behind them. Now her interest was piqued even more.

She followed, stepping quietly up the stairs to the front door and peeked inside, trying to see, or, hell, even hear what they were doing in an abandoned house.

“So we got nothing from either of the twins.” She heard Goshiki say with a sigh of exasperation, and maybe even a little frustration. “We’re back at square one.”

“We can’t just give up Goshiki-kun! We still have other people to look at, remember? Their mom and dad.” Was that Suki? She could only assume, but what the hell were they talking about? Whose mom and dad?

Masami peeked in further, finally able to get a good view of what was going down in the living room. She saw Goshiki, Suki, and Shirabu gathered on the couch, looking a little frustrated, or it seemed that way by how they sounded just a minute ago. It looked like they were talking to someone, but she couldn’t see who it was, so she slowly pushed open the door, a loud creak emitting from it. She panicked and tried backing up, but they had already caught sight of her, all looking like a deer caught in headlights. She waved sheepishly, “Uh, hey, sorry I’ll just—”

“Whoa, you guys, is this a friend of yours?”

Suddenly, there was… a girl in front of her, or at least she thought it was a girl. She looked ghastly, covered in blood stains and several stab wounds, yet still looked as cheerful as ever. Masami stared at her in awe, reaching out to touch her, almost as if she was in a trance.

“Hey, don’t you know it’s rude to just touch someone without their permission?”

She whipped her head around and saw a teenage boy standing behind her, almost identical to the girl. They both looked like they were just mere hallucinations, and if she blinked, then they would disappear. “Who… what the hell is going on here?” She finally managed to get out, though it hadn’t come out as confidently as she would have liked. “Are you two… ghosts?”

“We prefer the term spirits, but yes, essentially!” The ghostly girl chirped happily. “Semi Kohana, nice to meet you, and that protective grump over there is my brother, Semi Eita.” Masami looked over to the boy, holding back a snort at the sour expression on his face when his sister called him a grump, most likely proving her point that he was in fact one. “Don’t mind him, we just didn’t expect anyone else coming over!”

Masami looked at the three who were over by the couch, standing up at this point instead of sitting. They all looked like they were unsure of what to say, avoiding her gaze. Granted, they probably had no idea how to explain that there were two ghosts standing in front of them, like it was a normal, everyday occurrence. So, she merely just stood there and waited for them to find the words.

“So, um, Masami-chan, these are the Semi twins, the ones that were killed a year or so ago,” Suki started, wringing her hands nervously. “Originally, we had come here on a dare, because Tendou senpai figured out that Goshiki-kun lived only a few minutes from here, and us two went with him to prove if there were ghosts or not.”

Goshiki nodded, “And it turns out that there were… Um, they told us their story and we wanted to help so--”

“We’re trying to prove their father’s innocence.” Shirabu cut in, wrapping up what they had been trying to say. “He was convicted for the murders and we don’t think he had any reason to do it. Are we meddling? Yes, but we believe for good reason, which is why we questioned Satomi and Sora, since Satomi hated them we wanted to make sure she hadn’t actually done something to them.”  
Masami stood there, taking it all in. “So, you’re trying to solve the mystery of who killed them?” She pointed to the twins, a grin coming to her face. This might be what she was looking for after all, sure, she didn’t think solving a murder would be it, but new people to hang out with, a new objective in life. It was just what the doctor ordered.

Goshiki shared a look with them. “Um… yes?”

She grinned wider. “I want to help, can I?”

It was silent for a moment, Shirabu looking at her skeptically. “Why do you want to help us? What do you get out of it?”

“I love ghosts, and mysteries! I would be a real asset, plus four heads are better than just three.” 

“Well, it’d be six, Kohana and Eita are helping too.” Suki smiled, pointing to them. “But, I would be happy to have another teammate on board!”

Shirabu and Goshiki shared a look, Shirabu letting out a loud sigh. “Well, what do you think?”

Goshiki smiled and shrugged, “I don’t think it would be so bad, and like she said, another head is always better.” He looked at Masami, grinning. “If we all agree, we’d be happy to have you on board.”

“Me too!” Kohana called, hopping back and forth on her feet. “Eita please!”

Eita sighed softly, “I guess it’s fine with me, she’d better not squeal on us though, or this whole thing is ruined.”

Shirabu nodded in agreement, “If she agrees to keep quiet, I’d be fine with it. So, will you promise to keep quiet?”

Masami nodded eagerly. “I promise! Please, let me help you guys out!”

They all shared a look, Goshiki nodding and then looking to Masami again. “Welcome aboard!”

She cheered softly to herself, grinning widely. “Thanks! I won’t let you guys down.”

Suki grinned back, “We believe you! Now, are you ready for us to get you up to speed?”

Masami chuckled and did a little salute, “You bet!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also, Masami belongs to Maliina! Thank u for giving me the idea to put her in the story uwu


	5. another day, another suspect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> now that Masami is apart of the gang, there are more brain cells that are in use, and they come up with a new suspect: Seina Semi, the mother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m happy that I’m able to get all these chapters out relatively quickly (as I’ve said, I’ve got them all outlined), and I hope they’re up to par! I wanna aim for this fic to at least be 20 chapters, but it all depends on where the ending fits after the falling action, anyway, enjoy chapter 5!

From that day forward, Masami was apart of the gang. She still hung out with Satomi and Sora sometimes, but most of her time now was occupied by her new friends, and the secret they were keeping. 

As of right now in their investigation, they had two suspects that were officially eliminated, those two being Satomi and Sora Takamoto, so the little detectives were at a bit of a loss for who to focus on next. Of course, they had ideas, but it was more like they were all a little afraid of actually confronting those ideas. It was different because the twins went to their school, they didn’t have to go far to see them and talk to them. However, the twins’ mother lived all the way in Sendai, and their father was in prison, on death row, and surely it wasn’t easy to see a suspect waiting to be executed on death row. Shirabu had looked it up, and sure enough it was family members and legal representatives only, so that was out. Plus, Goshiki wasn’t sure how he would fare being in a maximum security prison anyway, where all the true murderers and bad people resided.

It was one day after school, Masami, Shirabu, Suki and Goshiki were all at the Semi house, just hanging out. As weird as it was, they really enjoyed just hanging out there, no one to bother them and where they could just chill. Their curfews weren’t until later, and though Shirabu and Masami had to leave earlier because they lived further away, Suki was always happy to stay with Goshiki, to chat with him and the twins until she had to go home too, and then it was just him, and the twins. He didn’t like going home to the emptiness of his house when his mom wasn’t there, especially after hearing what happened to Kohana and Eita (even though a murder hadn’t occurred anywhere near there since the Semi’s, it freaked him out), and they were happy to let him stay as long as he liked to. Usually he’d get homework done, or he would talk about volleyball with Eita, something that excited the ghost boy, though he tried to hide it. It was nice, like their own little hideaway from the rest of the world.

Today, however, they were just hanging out at the house. Eita was talking about volleyball with Shirabu, giving him tips on how to be a better setter (Had this been a jab at him for acting like he was the best setter? Goshiki thought so, and Shirabu had looked extremely pouty afterwards), and the girls had brought cleaning supplies to help at least wash off some of the dust on the floors and furniture. Goshiki had opted to help, and Kohana was dancing around in the kitchen, spinning and twirling gracefully and muttering positions to herself under her breath. She seemed to move effortlessly, and it reminded Goshiki of a cherry blossom petal fluttering in the wind. “Say, Kohana, what made you get into ballet?”

Kohana paused, a cross between a smile and a grimace on her face. “My mother, I suppose it was always her fantasy to have a little ballerina. She put me in lessons as soon as I could walk.”

Masami sat on her haunches, having finished scrubbing an especially stubborn spot on the floor (it looked like it was a blood stain), and hummed thoughtfully to herself. “So, what’s the deal with your mom? Is she a suspect too? Or do you guys just hate her that much?”

“We don’t hate our mother, she’s just…” Eita paused, trying to think of the right thing to say. “Strongly opinionated.”

“A bitch.”

“Kohana!” Eita frowned and looked over at her. “I mean… you’re right, but you don’t have to say it out loud.”

“It’s not like she’ll hear us all the way from Sendai, Eita.” She sighed, looking somewhat bitter.

“So… What is the deal with your mom?” Suki asked tentatively. “From what I gather, she wasn’t a good parent at all.”

Eita scoffed. “Try, she wasn’t a good person all around. She had a boyfriend while she was married to our father, and was more interested in her own personal and work life than us. It was more about appearances for her, and whenever cameras weren’t around, she treated us… terribly.”

The room had gone quiet, an uncomfortable silence filling the air. At least until Suki, being a bit nosy, piped up, “Like what…?”

“Remember when she caught me trying to get rid of my ballet slippers?” Kohana spoke up, though her voice was soft, almost as if she was afraid of her mother hearing her.

They all turned to Eita, who nodded. “I remember… It was angriest I’ve ever seen her.”

“What happened with the ballet slippers?” Masami asked.

 

***  
Seven years ago

Ten year old Semi Eita had wandered downstairs, looking for his mother and or father. He needed help deciphering a word in this new book he was reading. It was about witches and wizards, and he had no idea what the word ‘conscience’ meant, and he wasn’t even sure how to say it. Con-science? He knew what science was, but why add the word ‘con’ in front of it? He didn’t get it.

He bounded down the stairs, landing on both feet after having jumped with all his might off the bottom step. He landed with a thud, listening for any voices in the kitchen or living room. The house was oddly quiet, usually his mother was bustling around, fussing about how her designers were incompetent (he knew what that meant, his father explained it to him), and his father was usually cooped up in his office, hoarding off phone calls from work while he tried to get actual work done. Eita wasn’t really sure what his dad did for work, but he also didn’t really care, cmon, he’s ten. They also had a nanny, Hitoshi Mieko, who also looked after the house and it’s upkeep, because according to Mieko, his mom didn’t want to have to pay two different people for a job she could very well do.

But no one seemed to be around, not even Mieko. Eita wandered to his dad’s office, where the door was ajar. “Dad?”

Ryota was sitting at his desk on the phone, looking visibly frustrated as he tapped his pen on a stack of papers sitting in front of him. He heard the door and smiled when he saw it was his son that was there. “Hold on, hey Eita, what is it buddy?”

“I needed help with something but never mind… Is mom here?”

He nodded, gesturing to outside. “I think I saw her go outside with your sister a little while ago, are you sure you don’t need help though? I just need a minute.”

Eita shook his head, “It’s okay, bye dad!” He scampered off, going to the back door to find his mother. When he opened it, however, he was met with the furious screeching of his mother. He peeked around the wall, and saw that the person getting yelled at was none other than his sister, Kohana.

“How dare you?! I do everything for you and this is the thanks I get? Do you even understand how hard it was to get you those lessons?” 

Semi Seina wasn’t a nice person, to put it simply. She was cold, harsh, and if you weren’t up to her standards, then you were automatically below her or not good enough to be in her presence. She held the same ridiculously high standards for her children as well, which wasn’t fair to expect perfection from ten year olds. They had to adhere to her rules, no matter how strict or restrictive, and their father was never there to protect them from their mother’s wrath, due to him either being at work or he was never there to see it happen. Usually, it was Mieko who was there to protect them and defend them, even if it was risking her job. However, Seina knew that she wouldn’t find anyone like Mieko anywhere else, and the fact that her children might be even more difficult if she fired their favorite nanny (and yes, they had had multiple).

As of now, Eita watched as his mother screamed at his sister, and Kohana trying her best to hold back her tears. Honestly, it was a surprise she wasn’t crying already. Frowning, he ran over and stood next to his twin, grabbing her hand and holding it tightly. “Mom, why are you yelling at Hana? What did she do?”

Seina scoffed, “What did she do? I caught her trying to get rid of the new ballet slippers I bought her, and she has the nerve to say she doesn’t want to dance ballet anymore!”

“T-They hurt my feet, they pinch my toes…” Kohana sniffled quietly, rubbing her eyes. “A-And ballet isn’t fun, I hate it!”

“Well I got you those lessons, and I refuse to let you quit until you’ve really tried it.” She crossed her arms and walked back inside, the back door slamming behind her. The twins both knew that when she used that tone of voice, that meant there were no ands, ifs, or buts about it. That was that, and there was no changing her mind.

Kohana hiccuped, sitting down on the back porch step and burying her face in her arms, the discarded ballet slippers by her feet. “I-It’s not fun anymore, Eita, she makes me practice so much, it’s not about having fun, it’s about winning.” She sniffled helplessly. “A-And I don’t like it!”

Eita nodded and sat next her, putting his arm around her and giving her a hug. “I know, Ko… I know.” He hummed thoughtfully, gasping suddenly in delight. “What if I did ballet with you? So you won’t be alone, and it’ll be fun for the both of us because we’ll be together!”

She blinked, a smile slowly coming to her face as she wiped her tears away. “You mean it?”

He nodded again, smiling as well. “I mean it!”

Kohana grinned and stood up, the spring back in her step. “It’ll be so much fun! Oh, I’ll teach you everything you need to know, it’s not as hard as it seems actually—”

Eita smiled and watched his sister talk happily of all the fun times they would have, and what he would need to know. Sure, was ballet the most boyish activity he could be doing at ten? No, but he knew how much Kohana loved ballet, and if this was a way to get her to continue, then he would do it as long as he could.

Of course, their mother was a little surprised to hear that Eita wanted to start taking lessons alongside Kohana, but as long Kohana was still taking them, she had no complaints. Believe it or not, Eita had a knack for dancing, his movements flowing and graceful, you could really tell he lost himself when he danced. He was praised for how good he was, and Kohana continued to get even better, becoming more serious about it than he ever was. He quit when he was around thirteen or fourteen, having gotten more interested in volleyball then. However, he was always there, in the front row of Kohana’s recitals and competitions, cheering her on.

 

***  
Present

“So, you helped Kohana keep dancing?” Suki asked, grinning. “That’s so sweet!”

Kohana smiled, “I always said that when I eventually became famous I’d get him back on stage with me to dance again… And I’d thank him for helping me realize that I was being stupid for almost quitting.” She sighed. “But, that’s how much I wanted to quit, to the point of getting rid of my slippers, because she had almost ruined it for me.”

Goshiki hummed thoughtfully to himself, looking at the others. “So, what do you guys think? Should we check out their mom?”

“But what reason would she want them dead?” Shirabu shook his head. “And like they’ve said, she was in the city, working when they were murdered.”

“Um, you guys, not to blow your minds or anything.” Masami spoke up, sitting on the armrest of the couch. “But, hitman, for one, and two, life insurance policies. Do you guys know if she had policies out on you guys?”

Eita frowned, “No, I mean I don’t think she did… All I know is that we were inheriting some of her fortune when she passed away, I’m not sure how much it was though.”

Masami hummed, “What if she hired someone to take you guys out so that she wouldn’t have to give up any of her money? From what I gather, she sounds like a greedy bitch, and wouldn’t want to give you guys a cent. Plus, that could also explain why your dad got blamed!”

“What do you mean?” Kohana frowned.

“Well, didn’t you guys say that your mom had a boyfriend when she was still married? To get your dad out of the way, she could have paid off police so that he would get arrested for the murders and she’d get off clean! All without getting her hands dirty, and she’d have her money, no kids, and her new side piece.”

It was silent for a moment, while everyone processed her theory. And, wildly, it made a lot of sense, if you really thought about it. Goshiki nodded, chuckling. “I mean, she’s right.”

“I am? I mean, of course I am.” She grinned. “So? Are we questioning mama Semi?”

They all exchanged a look, nodding to one another. Goshiki stood, grinning. “Cool, so I guess we’re not stuck at square one after all!”

“Just one thing,” Eita raised his hand. “It’s almost impossible to get in to see her without some kind of appointment, if she’s still the same, she overbooks like crazy and almost never takes a day off. And she definitely won’t see four teenagers without some kind of reason.”

“Great.” Shirabu sighed. “Now what?”

Once again though, it was Masami to the rescue. She whipped out her phone and went to her contacts. “Your mom’s name is Seina you said? Seina Semi?”

Kohana nodded, “Yeah, but again, I don’t see how you can get in to see her.”

“Just hold on a second,” She hummed and tapped on a contact, putting her phone up to her ear. They all waited with baited breath as the phone rang once, then twice, and then they heard a woman’s voice on the other end. “Hey mom, can you do me a favor?” Masami hummed, pacing back and forth around the room. “Yeah, you know Seina Semi right?”

Goshiki watched as Masami managed to get her mom to get them a meeting with Seina, in less than five minutes. She hung up and he applauded her lightly. “That was amazing!”

“Eh, no big. I’ve heard my mom mention her name before, I figured it was worth a shot to ask since this important.” She smiled. “Make sure to clear your schedules for tomorrow kiddies, we’re going to see Miss Seina Semi, the wicked bitch of the west herself.”


	6. into the belly of the beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang heads into Sendai to meet with miss Seina Semi herself, it could go either very good or very bad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay chapter six! Summer has been super busy for me so I’m sorry this is so late, I hope you enjoy it anyway though! The next chapter will be a lot more interesting 👀

Saturday, April 14

Thanks to Masami’s mom, they had managed to a meeting with Seina Semi herself at her office in Sendai. Chiyoko, Goshiki’s mother, was a little worried about him going to the city alone, even if he was with friends, but he reassured her that they would all be staying together and had their phones on them if something were to happen. He even promised to get her a souvenir, but that was more of a “I feel guilty about lying to you about why I’m really going to Sendai”, type of gift.

He really did feel awful about not being honest with her, he’d never lied to his mom before, never, and while it was a good thing they were trying to do, he still didn’t feel good about keeping this from her. But hopefully they saw it through to the end without anyone getting hurt, or getting into too much trouble.

So, early that Saturday morning, Goshiki met the others at the station and hopped on a train straight to Sendai. It was a silent ride there, save for Masami’s music that was blasting through her headphones, for everyone was busy trying to prepare themselves for going into the belly of the beast. 

Once they arrived, they sort of wandered around aimlessly before they thought to look up the address of her office building (again, it was the nerves that were getting to them). It was more in the inner city, so they had to take a bus to get there, and even when they arrived, they stood in front of the building, just taking it all in. Goshiki glanced at his phone and looked at the time, 9:55 am, five minutes before their appointment with her. He cleared his throat, getting everyone else’s attention. “Um, should we go in?”

They nodded, and as soon as they went through the revolving doors, it was almost as if they had entered a whole other world. The lobby itself was very extravagant, the floors and columns being made of marble, and there was a big, gold chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Men and women bustled around, papers in hand or on the phone, moving quickly from one place to another, squeezing into the elevators or just sitting in one of the nice chairs while they worked. If they hadn’t felt out of place yet, they were definitely feeling it now, standing amongst the nicely dressed businessmen and women while they were just dressed for a normal outing; t-shirts, shorts and sneakers, definitely not what you would call business casual. In hindsight, Goshiki had thought about dressing up a little for the meeting, but he didn’t want to arouse any suspicions from his mom, so he had opted out of that one.

“Can I help you?”

They all looked over in the direction from which the voice came, which had been reception. To everyone else, it probably did look a little weird that four teenagers were just standing in the lobby, just gaping at everything. He cleared his throat and walked over to her, the others following him. “Hi, um, we’re here to see Ms. Semi? We have an appointment.

The receptionist looked at them all skeptically until Masami stepped forward, “Masami Shoji, my mother arranged it.”

“O-Oh! Miss Shoji, I’m so sorry to keep you all waiting, you can go on up, Ms. Semi is expecting you.”

Masami smirked and walked to the elevators, the others following in awe. “What the hell does your mom do, Masami?”

“CEO of a major energy company in Tokyo, it’s just me and my dad at home most times.” She hummed. “Apparently Kohana and Eita’s mom is besties with mine, wild right?”

Goshiki nodded as he got in, standing near the front. “Yeah, wild…”

When they got up to the top floor, they were met with another receptionist, and off to both sides were offices. He wondered which one was Seina’s.

“Ah, Miss Masami and friends, glad to see you.” The receptionist smiled warmly at them. “Miss Semi is waiting for you all in her office if you’ll just follow me.” He stood up, leading them down the left hallway to a big office at the end. He knocked on the door once, then twice when she didn’t answer the first time. “Miss Semi?”

“What, Taro?” Goshiki heard an irritated woman’s voice and footsteps coming closer, swinging the door wide open. “I was on the phone, and I don’t need you constantly--”

“Y-Your appointment, Miss Semi, Masami Shoji and her friends? I-I believe her mother called you last week to set it up…” The assistant, now known as Taro, shuddered, keeping his hands close to his sides.

Seina Semi looked down at the children before, regarding them with a slight curiosity before nodding. “Of course, come in, thank you Taro.”

Goshiki looked back at Taro who smiled at them warmly, then speed walked back to his desk. He then took a deep breath and walked into the office of the mother of the twin ghosts.

It was a large office, not as extravagant as the lobby downstairs, but still decorated similarly. The paint on the wall was white, and had large, black swirls painted on. In the corners, there were mannequins with various designs on them and on her desk and on the walls were drawings and sketches of more designs. It wasn’t cluttered, but it was more neat and organized. On her wall, too, were pictures of herself with various celebrities, most likely close friends or people who wore her designs. There was also just a big painting of herself behind her desk on the wall, talk about conceited.

Seina herself looked as Goshiki had imagined her, plus he had just kind of imagined an older Kohana. Her hair was blonde, blonder than Kohana and Eita, and she had very sharp features; her jawline, and her eyes, which bore right into him when she looked at him. She had no smile lines, in fact her face looked quite serious and like she had never smiled a day in her life. Definitely the opposite of Kohana, but she could see a little bit of Eita in her. “Well, Masami, it’s wonderful to see you my dear, how’s your mother?”

Masami smiled and sat down in one of the chairs. “I’m good, thank you, my mom was wondering about getting together for lunch soon?”

“Of course, I miss her.” She hummed, sitting in her chair. “So, what is this meeting all about?”

Suki, as per usual, wasted no time and asked right away, “We’re here about your children, Eita and Kohana.”

Immediately, Seina’s face became unreadable. Her face went neutral and for a moment, Goshiki was worried they’d upset her and they’d be thrown out as soon as they got there, but instead, she sighed and folded her hands, looking at them. “Did you know them?”

“Um… Sort of, they were older than us but we heard that the anniversary of their murders was a few weeks ago, and… Well ma’am, we just don’t think that their father killed your children, considering the evidence.” Goshiki gulped, his hands shaking in his lap.

Seina narrowed her eyes, the mention of her ex-husband causing her gaze to turn steely and cold. “Ah, Ryota. Our marriage was never good, though I never believed he killed our babies. He’s too meek and docile to ever commit such a disgusting crime.”

Shirabu blinked, “So… You don’t think he killed them?”

“Not at all,” She hummed. “Though, if he did, I could think of a reason why, which is why I’ve never been 100% sure if he did do it or not.”

“So, you do think he did, at least a little.”

“There’s always been a part of me that wondered if he was in that jail cell for a reason, and, like I said, I can think of one reason.” She paused for a moment, as if to see if she had their undivided attention. Then she continued, “Money.”

And there it was, the motive that they had been looking for. Money motivated everything a person did, or most things, and while they didn’t believe that it was Ryota, this could’ve been Seina’s motive. “Money?”

“Mhm, when the children were young, we had life insurance policies taken out on them in case any accidents happened. We were famous and we had a lot of enemies, it was in case they decided to take their anger out on the children of course… They were still in effect, he could’ve killed them to get the money, which was quite a lot.”

Shirabu tilted his head, “But, didn’t you say he was too meek to do anything to them?”

“Ryota’s a smart man, he could’ve gotten someone else to do it for him.” She said finally, being unable to keep the satisfied look off her face. “If he did do it, he was very sloppy because he got caught.”

Masami frowned, “Miss Seina, you seem very sure that it was your ex-husband.”

Seina hummed to herself, “I suppose it does, hm. Maybe I do after all, but don’t just take my word for it, after all children,” She leaned forward, smiling at them, “It’s always best to go right to the source.”

 

***

 

The gang headed back home later that evening, feeling more confused than when they had first headed into Sendai in the first place. What they had gathered from that trip was that Seina believed her husband had gotten someone to kill their children for the life insurance money. But from what the twins had told them, their father was a loving man, who wouldn’t hurt a fly, and he would never harm them. Surely Seina must’ve known that too deep down, so why would she say with full certainty that it was him? To throw the kids off her tracks? Or was she so thrown by the surprise visit that she came up with the first thing to come to mind? Either way, it left all four of them puzzled as they rode the train back home that evening.

Of course, the day hadn’t been totally wasted. After their meeting, they had gone and shopped around, taking pictures and Masami got them all lunch at this nice cafe. It had been nice, and gotten their mind off of Seina Semi and her deceitfulness, because even though she had played nice, they all knew the truth.

As they stepped off the train and walked home, Masami got a call from Seina’s office. They all paused, wary of what the wicked witch wanted from them now. She sighed and answered, putting it on speaker. “Hello?”

“Ah, Miss Masami? It’s Taro, Ms. Semi’s assistant.” Taro chirped happily from the other line.

“Oh, uh, hi Taro.” Now they were confused, why was her assistant calling them? “What’s this about?”

“Oh, well I just wanted to call and confirm the appointment Ms. Semi set up for you and the Sendai City prison next Saturday? To visit Mr. Semi of course.”

Their eyes widened, they hadn’t talked about that while they were there, only that she thought that her ex had killed the twins. Shirabu was about to open his mouth, probably to decline, before Suki covered it with her hand. “Yes, thank you, we’ll be there!”

“Perfect! Oh, it was nice meeting you guys today by the way, I think it was the first time anyone’s talked to me at a normal volume.” He chuckled, “Anyway, I’ll see you!” And with that he hung up, leaving the gang dumbfounded.

“What… Just happened?” Shirabu asked incredulously.

“I think,” Goshiki looked around at them, “I think we’ve got ourselves a meeting with Ryota Semi.”


	7. the tea has been spilled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang takes a trip to the Sendai City jail! Will talking to Ryota prove useful? Or will the kids be stuck back at square one again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow me?? Getting two chapters out within a couple days of each other? Who am I. No but seriously, I think they’ll be coming a lot faster now that I’ve actually finished outlining everything? So stay tuned 😌

Saturday April 21

Chiyoko was a little confused as to why her son was going back to Sendai the next weekend too, but he just told her that it was because Masami had offered to take them there and back, which wasn’t really a lie.

Masami had gotten her mom’s driver to take them into Sendai to the city prison, or at least very close by. She hadn’t told him to take them right there, as to not arouse suspicions from him and have him possibly snitch on them to her mom, so they decided to just be safe.

They thanked him and approached the jail, all four of them feeling a little intimidated when the guard asked them why they were there.

“Ms. Seina Semi called ahead of time, we’re here to see Semi Ryota.” Masami spoke confidently, though Goshiki could see her hands shaking by her sides.

The guard nodded and let them in, leading them to the visitation room where they sat and waited for them to bring Ryota out.

They heard the door buzz, then open, and out came two guards leading Ryota by the arms, gesturing to where the four of them sat. He turned to the guards as if he was questioning why they were there, and they simply just nodded and nudged him in their direction.

Ryota Semi looked like a kindly man, though right now he looked tired, and ragged. He had a bit of stubble on his chin and around his mouth, and he had dark circles under his eyes, almost like he hadn’t slept in weeks. Though, if he was stuck in a maximum security prison for a crime he didn’t commit, he wouldn’t feel much like sleeping either. His hair was the same ashy color as Eita’s, and had brown eyes just like the twins too. He sat down across from them, eyeing them warily. “Who are you kids?”

“Ah, Goshiki Tsutomu sir.” He bowed his head, watching as the others introduced themselves as well. “We’re here because your ex-wife got us in to see you?”

Ryota narrowed his eyes, folding his hands on the table. Looked like neither one of them liked talking about the other. “So, Seina sent you huh? Why?”

“We… Aren’t really sure sir, but since we are here, can we ask you something?” Suki piped up, shifting in her chair.

He sighed, “I suppose, go ahead.”

“You didn’t kill Kohana and Eita, right?” Shirabu asked, though it came out more like a statement than a question.

“I-- Of course not! I love my children, with all my heart.” At the mention of his kids, he got a little misty eyed, rubbing his eyes quickly. “I-I would never harm them, I swear on my life.”

Goshiki smiled, they had already known that he was innocent, but the way he reacted just confirmed it. “We know sir, and we know you’re innocent… We want to try and help you by figuring out who really did it.”

Ryota smiled tiredly, “That’s very kind of you, all four of you, but I don’t want you getting in trouble on my account…”

“It’s no trouble, besides, we already know the consequences that come along with this, we’ve all thoroughly discussed it.” Shirabu hummed. “Besides, if you don’t mind, we’d like to hear the story from you, and not Seina’s side.”

He sighed, “I’m sure she did her best to implicate me, but that’s not the case, let me set that straight right now.” He looked down at the table, wringing his hands. “It was… It was late that night, I had realized that forgotten a few things for Kohana’s dinner… She always liked to have a big dinner and a big breakfast before a recital, and then we would go out afterwards to celebrate… Even if the recital was Sunday, I wanted to be prepared, because I wouldn’t have time,” He sniffled, blinking back tears. “We had all sat down to watch movies… Harry Potter, I think, and they had fallen asleep, so I wrote them a note letting them know where I was in case they woke up and I was still out, and then I left.” He sighed, stopping to wipe his eyes. “I-I couldn’t have been gone for more than an hour, and I came home, and there were police and an ambulance and so many people at our house…” 

Goshiki frowned, unable to keep himself from getting teary eyed too. “Sir, it’s alright…”

“I-I had to identify them, they had been cleaned up of course but they were still…” He cried, putting his head in his hands. “M-My babies, who… Who would do such an awful thing?”

Suki sniffled, “That’s what we’re trying to find out sir, to bring them justice and get you free…”

“Well, thank you kids… I’ve already filed an appeal, maybe if you’re able to figure out who really did it, then my trial wouldn’t end up… Well, not in my favor.” He sighed. “So, what do you need from me?”

“We want to know if there’s any reason that you can think of that Seina might’ve had to do away with them? She gave money as a motive for you--”

“For me? Oh please, she was just spouting bullshit.” Ryota grew visibly agitated again, “She was lying.”

Shirabu tilted his head, “So, what do you think then? Any reason she might have done something?”

He sighed, “For as long as I’ve known her, Seina’s always been greedy. Our marriage was an arranged one you know.”

“Really? Why?” Masami leaned forward.

“We both came from wealthy families, though we both attended the same school and knew each other through our parents. I could tell marriage wasn’t something that she wanted, though I think she grew to like the thought more when we started getting more publicity as a couple, and her designs started getting more popular.”

“So… It was never really about love for her? Was it for you?” Goshiki asked.

Ryota chuckled, “No, not at first… She was doing her thing and I was doing mine, growing my career. After Kohana and Eita were born though, it was so different… I loved her as the mother of my children, but that was all.”

“Did you ever wish you could marry someone else?” Suki asked, taking mental notes in her head.

“Sure I did, especially when I found out she was cheating on me.” He sighed, “I was in it for Kohana and Eita, it was for them. But when Seina started bringing around Matsuda, that was the last straw, and I filed for divorce and took the kids with me.”

“Matsuda?”

“Matsuda Raden, apparently he was Seina’s main lover,” He sighed irritably. “She even had the audacity to bring him around the kids, but they were smart enough to realize that he and their mother had something going on, she was always underestimating them.”

Goshiki hummed thoughtfully, maybe this Raden guy was someone to consider, if not to question him just to see, and then move on. “I see…”

“Oi, Semi, your time is almost up.” A guard called from the corner, tapping his watch.

“Right, thank you.” He acknowledged him with a nod, turning back to the kids. “Listen, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, again, I just don’t want you caught up in this web of… Of secrets and lies that the adults created. I want you to be absolutely sure, is all.”

Masami smiled and gave him a little salute, “We’re sure Mr. Semi! You can count on us!”

Ryota smiled, chuckling softly. “Alright then… Just something to consider though.”

“What’s that?”

“Just keep all options open, don’t disregard something, or someone, because it seems unlikely.” He said pointedly, smiling as he was led away. “Good luck you four.”

“Thank you sir!” Goshiki smiled and waved, sighing softly as they all got up and left, feeling slightly uneasy. What did Ryota mean?

 

***

 

As they walked back to the spot where Masami’s driver was meeting them, they all openly contemplated about what Ryota’s last message to them meant.

“Maybe he meant that Raden guy!” Masami said suddenly, “What else could he mean? Raden is the unlikely factor!”

 

“I guess, but what if he meant someone else entirely? Someone we haven’t met yet?” Suki frowned and scuffed her shoes against the sidewalk. “We’re kind of running out of suspects here.”

Goshiki sighed, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “The only real suspect we have is Seina, and maybe this Raden guy, if we can find him. But there must be a bunch Raden’s in this area alone, and forget Japan, there must be millions.”

“You forget we have two primary sources right at our hands,” Shirabu smiled, “We can just ask Kohana and Eita if they remember him and what he looks like, and then we go from there.”

“Good idea Shira!” Masami grinned and threw her arm around him. “Nice thinking.”

He looked away, a little flustered, “T-Thanks I guess…” He mumbled softly. “Anyway, that’s our plan moving forward, sound good?”

They all nodded in agreement, just as the driver pulled up. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to go home.” Masami sighed as she opened the door.

“Me too… You can come to my house, my mom wouldn’t mind.” Goshiki smiled and got in as well.

“Will she make us food?” Suki asked.

“Probably.”

“I’m in!”

“Me too!” Masami chimed in, giggling.

Shirabu simply raised his hand, indicating that he wanted to come too.

Goshiki smiled and nodded, “Alright then, to my house then please driver!”

 

***

 

They arrived home about an hour later, and when they arrived, Chiyoko was in the kitchen. “Oh, hi kids!”

“Hi mom!” Goshiki called, slipping off his shoes and leading the way into the kitchen. “How was your day off?”

“Very quiet.” She chuckled, “Nice to see you all.”

A chorus of ‘hellos’ echoed amongst them, and Chiyoko smiled wider at them. “Hey, you guys have been pretty busy these past few weekends, and with school, why don’t you all take a break?”

“A break?”

She nodded, “Mhm. Why don’t we go to the beach next weekend? All of us.”

“That’s great!” Masami grinned, hopping up and down. “That sounds so much fun ma’am!”

“It does, I’m in too!” Suki smiled and looked to Shirabu. “Kenjirou, cmon, what do ya say?”

All three looked at him, their eyes pleading. Shirabu sighed loudly, “Fine, I’m in too.”

They all cheered and Chiyoko smiled, “Perfect, we’ll go up Friday and stay until Saturday, how’s that?”

Goshiki smiled, “Sounds perfect mom.”

A murder investigation could be put on hold for a couple days couldn’t it?


	8. take a break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the gang heads to the beach, hoping for a break from the case, but maybe that’s asking for a little too much

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m pretty proud of myself for getting things done so quickly, for this and my Koji fic, which I hope you guys are enjoying as well! Chapter three is on the way, and then for this chapter nine is being started! Sorry this is kinda filler, but I figured that they needed a little break, I’m not a monster 😌 I say as I write about killing off two beloved characters shshsb

Friday, April 27th

The four teenagers all excitedly gathered at Goshiki’s house after school on that Friday, bags filled with extra clothes and bathing suits as well as other beach essentials. Goshiki grabbed a volleyball for them, and off they were, all packed into the back of his mother’s van. This was sure to be a much needed free weekend, no chasing after suspects, no secret meetings in Sendai, just hanging out with his friends for a couple of days.

They were going to the Nobiru beach, which wasn’t too far, and once they got checked into their hotel, they headed right to the beach to hang out. 

It was a little hard though, to see his crush in a swimsuit, she just looked really cute in it, and it didn’t help that Shirabu was teasing him about how his face looked sunburned and they hadn’t even been outside for long. Though, the tables turned when Shirabu’s face turned a light shade of pink when Masami came out in her bikini too. How interesting. 

They set up their stuff and immediately went to the water, playing and splashing around for a while before going back up to sit on their towels and eat the sandwiches Chiyoko had packed for them. Actually, while they were sitting, they saw a few familiar people walking along the shoreline. Masami grinned and called out to them, “Hey, Sora! Satomi!”

The twin girls turned around, Sora waving to them with a smile and beckoning Satomi to come over to say hi. Satomi rolled her eyes and followed, sliding her sunglasses down onto her face. “Hi brats.”

“Satomi, cmon.” Sora smiled, “Hey guys, I didn’t know you would be here Masami.”

“Oh yeah, Tsutomu’s mom offered to take us all,” She gestured to the others surrounding her, smiling. “You guys here by yourselves?”

Satomi shook her head, “No, Satori is here too, and Sora’s boy toy thing.”

“My boyfriend.” Sora corrected.

“Whatever, he’s Seijoh scum, I don’t care about him.”

Their eyes went slightly wide, Goshiki deciding to speak up first. “You’re dating a guy from Seijoh?”

Sora sighed, as if she were tired of having to explain herself. “Yes, I am, his name is Takahiro Hanamaki, he’s a third year, he plays volleyball, yes you’ve played against him before.” She huffed.

Suki smiled, “I was just gonna say that’s really great Sora, how did you guys meet?”

“Oh,” She smiled, “It was at a game, I ran into him after he had gotten finished playing against Shiratorizawa. We talked, and I figured that if it was meant to be, we would see each other again. Sure enough, we ran into each other again at the gym we both go to? So we got to talking more, and here we are, five months and counting.” She grinned, looking a little dazed.

“Barf.” Satomi pretended to gag, “Anyway, you’re not gonna try to question us anymore are you?”

“Satomi.” Sora frowned and looked at her sternly. “Turns out they had good reason to! You were so mean to Kohana and Eita, and then they turned up… Well, you know!”

Satomi rolled her eyes, “As if I had anything to do with it.” She turned back to the four who were sitting on the sand, smirking at them. “You know, if you want suspects, you might wanna look into the mother. She’s shady as fuck, mom says that there were rumors of her trafficking her models.”

Shirabu frowned, “I’m positive those are just tabloids trying to get quick cash, thanks anyway.”

“Mm, well in that case be sure to ask one of her lovers then, she sure had plenty of those.”

Now that was a little bit more believable, “Lovers?”

Sora nodded, “It always used to be all over the news, it was always a new man every couple weeks. She probably has one right now you could ask.”

“Ah, thanks--”

“Kids, time to come in! We’re cleaning up and then going out to walk along the shops!” Chiyoko called.

Satomi smirked, beginning to walk away, “Just think about what we said!”

They all shared looks with each other as the two girls walked away, leaving them to pack up their stuff and trudge back to the hotel. That was twice now that someone had brought up her lovers, and if she had that many, then surely one of them, or even a couple of them knew something.

 

***

 

Later that night, when they were in their hotel room, they gathered around Masami’s laptop as they searched up Seina’s name. They were in the complete darkness, the light coming from the screen shining brightly on their faces. Immediately, headlines popped up about her designs, how she had won awards, how she was planning to expand her company, so on and so forth. They were starting to give up hope when they found a little article at the bottom of the results page titled, ‘The Many Lovers of Seina Semi’. Eagerly, they clicked on it, and found it to be surprisingly well written, not just another tabloid. 

The article described her as a heartless woman, who tried to constantly fill the void in herself with men, money and attention, which seemed pretty accurate (they were kind of surprised that she didn’t kill this article when it first came out). It also portrayed Ryota as some poor fool who was either clueless or didn’t satisfy Seina enough, so she had to turn to others. Kohana and Eita were only briefly mentioned, stating that they were young and had no idea what their mother was doing, so it was widely speculated she brought her lovers around her children. Could she be anymore of a selfish witch?

Something that did catch their attention though, was a picture, probably taken by paparazzi, of Seina with a man that looked a little younger than her, and they were walking somewhere together, trying but failing to look discreet. The caption read, ‘Seina with her new man, Matsuda Raden, out and about this weekend,’

So this was the Raden that Ryota had been talking about? When he had told them about Raden, Ryota had them under the impression that he was Seina’s age, but this guy didn’t look a day over 25. Shit, Seina was a whole sugar mommy.

Masami bookmarked the page to save for later, and with them all considering this new suspect, they eventually drifted off to sleep.

 

***  
Saturday, April 28th

The next day, they all shopped around and took pictures together before finally heading back for home. They got cool souvenirs, and while they were sad to go, Chiyoko had to work on Sunday, and she wanted to get some rest before her long shift.

Everyone was pretty tuckered out from spending so much time in the sun and in the water, and when they got back to Goshiki’s place, they showered, and all curled up on the floor to nap. When they woke up, it was about 7:30 pm, and Chiyoko had already gone to work, leaving money for food. They just decided to make a sleepover out of it and ordered pizza, gathering in the living room to watch movies. 

None of them said it, but it eerily reminded them all of how Kohana and Eita had been murdered after a movie marathon in their house. It didn’t really need to be said, anyway. 

“So, we’re gonna question that Raden guy right?” Suki piped up from the far left end of the couch, hugging her knees. 

“Oh, for sure.” Masami nodded. “If he was a big enough part of their life for tabloids and Ryota to mention him, then he must be important.” She yawned, leaning on Shirabu’s shoulder. 

Goshiki nodded, turning back to the television screen. It was settled then, they were back at it tomorrow, as soon as they could be.

**Author's Note:**

> also! Here’s my Twitter bc I’m doing this interactively there :3 Give me a follow while you’re there!
> 
> https://mobile.twitter.com/seijhoe_
> 
> also all the oc’s mentioned in this are mine! (Suki is Malina’s)


End file.
